16 MAI 2016 NEWS: Milan - Xi'an - Evesham - Jerash - Bahadurnagar -

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USA – Milan - Native Americans in Northern Ohio constructed a detailed ceremonial site 2,300 years ago that may have been used to celebrate life and observe the cosmos, according to archaeologists who spent five years excavating there.The archaeologists, from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the University of Toledo and the Firelands Archaeological Research Center in Amherst, uncovered the ceremonial site within the Heckelman excavation site, located on a hilltop near the Huron River outside Milan, Ohio. The area’s Early Woodland occupiers built the ceremonial site in 300 B.C. in an oval enclosure dug into the ground within a larger enclosure, the archaeologists said. Excavators unearthed circular post molds, or organic stains in the soil, that suggest freestanding wooden posts or ritual poles arranged in clusterswere once located there, and that they were not part of any structure or building. It is believed that the poles, between 10 and 20 inches in diameter and likely 10 to 12 feet high, were set in the ground and then taken down after the ceremonies. Most contemporary sites in Ohio focused on burial ceremonies and the building of mounds. To find evidence of life celebrations is an unexpected and exciting discovery. It gives us surprising insights about these prehistoric Ohioans that lived nearly 2,300 years ago

CHINE – Xi'an - Guinness World Records can today confirm the discovery of the world's Oldest tea leaves during the excavation of an ancient tomb belonging to a Chinese emperor. The historical find was made by the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology during the examination of the Han Yang Ling Mausoleum between 1998 and 2005. The tea leaves were uncovered among treasures buried with Emperor Liu Qi, with scientific examinations confirming that the leaves are an incredible 2,100 years old. Research suggests the type of leaves found were grown to cater for the drinking habits of the Western Han Dynasty (207BCE-9CE) and then carried toward central Asia by 200CE. The mausoleum where the leaves were found is situated in Xi’an in China, an area previously called Chang’an during the Han Dynasty and a starting point of the ancient network of trade routes called Silk Road, where tea leaves were considered an important commodity.

ROYAUME UNI – Evesham - Remnants from a Bronze Age settlement in Evesham have been unearthed. The artefacts including a clay burial vessel and a wrist guard were found by a team of archaeologists. The excavation, on land off Offenham Road, took place before groundworks got underway. An initial survey of the land three years ago indicated its use as an orchard in the 20th century, before further investigations suggested the site could contain part of a much earlier Iron Age or Roman field system. Laurence Hayes, principal archaeologist for RSK said: “The starting point for our investigations was a geophysical survey carried out in 2013 which showed a series of linear anomalies thought to relate to its use as an orchard in the early 20th century. Trial trenches dug in 2015 established that they were deep ‘V’-shaped ditches, potentially part of a prehistoric or Roman field system. The ditches were tentatively dated to the Middle Iron Age on the basis of some very poorly preserved pottery in one of the ditches. “On widening our investigation to a larger area of land, the ditches were found to represent part of a track or drove way with surrounding fields. We recovered pottery from the ditches that appear to be more likely Bronze Age. “The really unexpected find was a ‘beaker’ burial. This large burial pit contained a near complete Early Bronze Age vessel known as a beaker, covered with intricate patterns, and a polished stone archer’s wrist guard. No other remains were uncovered due to the poor preservation qualities of the local soil and geology.” Typically associated with high-status individuals, the wrist guard indicated the person buried was a male, and these burial practices form part of a European-wide cultural phenomenon in the late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age period (around 2,500-2,100 BC in Britain). The grave would probably have been located beneath a burial mound which has long-since been ploughed away, but is likely to have been a standing monument in the landscape at the time the adjacent drove way and field system were in use. A cluster of pits next to the grave included another near complete, but badly damaged, Bronze Age vessel and a possible cooking pit.

JORDANIE - Jerash - Archaeologists on Thursday discovered at the Roman city of Jerash a statue of Aphrodite, God of Love, believed to be the biggest of its kind unearthed so far, officials announced today. The discovery was made during a routine excavation by French and German archaeologists mission in cooperation with the university of Jordan, said Petra news agency. Archaeologists have discovered the statue in the eastern part of Jerash, a major Roman city that once served as the hub of the Roman empire. The discovered part is 154 height, representing the lower part, as archaeologists believe the upper part is expected to be up to one metre in length. The statue is known for its beauty and is considered the first life-size representation of the nude female. It depicts the goddess Aphrodite as she prepared for the ritual bath that restored her purity, discarding her drapery in her left hand, while shielding herself with the right hand. Her hands are placed in a motion that simultaneously shields her womanhood and draws attention to her nudity. Archaeologists plan further excavation and research to determine circumstances surrounding the making of the statue, which will be renovated and placed in the local museum in Jerash. Officials hope the breakthrough in the discovery will mark a major achievement in the excavation process in Jerash and would help attract more tourists to the struggling city.

INDE - Bahadurnagar - Earthen lamps dating back to Gautam Buddha's era were found by a villager near the India-Pakistan border in Amritsar district. Balwinder Singh, a resident of Bahadurnagar village situated on the border, found three earthen lamps from a mound. The three earthen lamps have unique features, and stand apart from the present-day earthen lamps. Bahadurnagar is situated close to Kotli Vasawa Singh village, where lie the remains of Buddhist civilization buried under mounds.